Comfort
by JimJam22
Summary: After Sakura's last remaining relative dies, she's left all alone to discover secrets about her clan that she'd always thought was fantasy, a child's bed time story. As she delves deeper,though a certain Inuzuka unexpectedly gets involved.
1. PROLOUGE

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Naruto...damn

_OK, so this is my first ever story and I would appreciate ANY comments/ reviews that you can manage...I don't care if you flame me or not! Constructive criticism is most definitely welcome though! _

Please enjoy!

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Crystalline tears flew wayward as their owner whizzed through tall, leafy green trees; dodging and ducking at the appropriate moments to avoid a potential collision. The owner of said tears was too emotionally unstable to even notice that the aforementioned salty substance even graced her porcelain features; she was too distraught.

The woman finally landed in a clearing and collapsed, her muscles felt hot and over used; she had been running for hours it seemed. Normally in situations like this, she would be tough and wait her initial feelings out as to not disrupt her daily routine or cause any unneeded worry or stress in her counterparts. This, however, was most definitely not a normal situation and therefore most definitely did not receive the normal generic treatment.

She had lost a patient, and yes this did tend to happen frequently in the facility she happened to work at, since it _was _a hospital, but this wasn't a normal patient. It was her mother, and she was just beyond the point of healing even for someone of the young woman's skill and stature. Knowing that did not take away from the pain though, and who would expect it to?

The woman had been laying there for a while, her long rosette hair splayed about in the most untidy of fashions, but who really cared? No one was here to see her in her current state of depression anyway. She was brought out of her inner reveling when her keen ears picked up on the sound of the crunching of leaves; someone or something was here!

The girl looked up and now dull pools of emerald were revealed, as she got into a battle stance. How could she have been so stupid?! She didn't know where the _fuck _she was and to top it off, she was almost out of chakra!

Her body tensed up as the sound of cracking undergrowth drew nearer, but soon relaxed as the object of her distress was revealed as Akamaru, Kiba's loyal Nin dog.

The still young and once small puppy had grown immensely in the last few years, but was still recognizable to the young woman by the distinct markings that adorned his ears.

Said Nin dog whined at the evidence of the girl's distress and was coaxed further until the female's arms were securely wrapped and buried in the sea of crème colored fur the now huge dog possessed.

As the rosette's head hit the soft, forest smelling, fur the dam that had managed to hold in her ocean of tears for a couple of minutes overflowed, and she ended up sobbing into the seemingly gentle dog's coat.

Unbeknownst to her though, the master and loving owner of said dog was watching this interaction of woman and dog with sympathy and understanding. He had also lost a parent, although he was at a much younger age than the woman, '_Sakura, I'm sorry'_


	2. Chapter 1

Kiba took one step closer to his trusty companion and his grieving colleague, and then cursed violently after. He broke a twig. A fucking twig! Kiba growled as Sakura shot up in surprise, _'So much for being subtle'_

"Who- who's there? Come out you coward!" Sakura shouted into the foliage as she swiftly righted herself on her quivering legs once again. She got into a battle stance and surveyed the landscape. Even though she was completely out of chakra and exhausted beyond belief, she would _not_ just sit around and let someone beat her senseless not matter what the circumstances were.

Kiba stepped out into the clearing, holding his hands up. Why get her even more riled up then she already was? He didn't want to get in front of those fists with, or without chakra.

"Calm down Sakura. It's just me."

She lowered her clenched fists and relaxed her shoulders. No wonder Akamaru didn't jump in to help; he knew it was his master and that there was currently no threat. How could she have been so stupid? If Akamaru was there of course Kiba wouldn't be that far behind! They went absolutely everywhere with each other. The duo even managed to coerce her staff into letting Akamaru into the hospital.

'_The hospital…Mom" _Sakura choked back a sob and tried to swallow it back down her throat, but the damage was done. All she could see was her mother's lifeless face and cold pale skin, dying in her very arms. Sakura fell to her knees and this time, made no attempt at righting herself. What was the point? She just lost the most important person in her life; she had never met her father, though many say he was a great man. She had his eyes, but her mom's personality.

The Dog-nin panicked as he saw her fall. He didn't know what to do. Of course he had plenty of experience with women; he _did_ have both a mother and a sister. They were far more reserved when it came to their own grief though, like most kunoichi. In fact, Sakura was one of the only kunoichi he knew that openly showed her inner most thoughts and feelings. Even _Hinata _had a barrier that kept her emotions in check, and that was saying something, though, he supposed, coming from a prestigious clan like the Hyuuga did that to you.

As Kiba was stuck in his thoughts, Akamaru went back to Sakura's side and allowed her to clutch his fur like a lifeline. After a while now distressed the Nin-dog yipped to get Kiba's attention back to their charge. Sakura was practically pulling his fur out from the roots!

After Tsunade was informed of her apprentice's loss and departure, she summoned the best trackers in Konoha to "Fetch her most cherished apprentice, and succeed, unless they wanted to both be castrated within the next hour" Both dog and Jounin paled visibly at the threat and then proceeded to quickly pack their shit and leave after the distraught Medic.

It wasn't too hard to find her either. In her mad dash to escape, she didn't bother to suppress her chakra or cover her scent. Not that they wouldn't accomplish their goal should she have, they were the best for a good reason.

Akamaru barked again, this time more forcefully; his boy did seem to get lost in thought in the shittiest of times. Kiba responded this time and approached the duo carefully. Sakura was fine with Akamaru being near, but that didn't mean she would be too fond of him coming any closer. She was fragile and unpredictable in this state. When the rosette didn't react to his nearing presence, Kiba came further in until he could see her face amongst the crème colored fur she was nestled in. It was then that he realized that Sakura had passed out from the stress and emotional trauma of the day; he knew he would have too.

Kiba scooped the slumbering Medic into his strong, lean arms and headed back to Konoha, making sure not the jostle her anymore than what was necessary. She needed her sleep, and he didn't mind. No, he most certainly did not mind.


	3. Chapter 2

When Sakura awoke, she heard the distinct sound of a heart-beat monitor. She was in the hospital.

"Wh- What happened?"

"You're in the hospital, Sakura. A fact I'm sure you're well aware of, unless you bumped your head like an idiot when you stupidly ran off."

Sakura flinched at the rough words of her Shishou. She knew her reaction to her mother's death wasn't smart, so she didn't need her Shishou telling her what she already knew. Hell, Tsunade ran off for years at a time after Orochimaru deserted Konoha! Why couldn't she take one moment to collect herself before everyone was pestering her about her new state as an orphan? To Sakura, Tsunade seemed like the biggest hypocrite in the world right now.

Sharp emerald met honey brown.

"Shishou, I hardly think that your accusations are fair. When you left-"

"Sakura Haruno! I left with full permission from the Hokage! I left with a clear head, and I knew what I was doing! Most importantly, I left fully able to protect myself, with a full supply of chakra! You left because you were in distress, with a clouded mind, without my permission and with left to no chakra left! I'd say our situations were very, very different, so don't you dare say I'm overreacting dammit!"

Sakura looked down, defeated, ready to cry. She inhaled, no, she _would not_ cry in front of her teacher. She _would not_ be weak.

Tsunade sighed. Perhaps she was too hard on Sakura? She _did _lose her mom the day before after all. Tsunade thought for a minute, glancing at Sakura every now and then. Sometimes that girl scared her to death, not that she would admit it. Hell, wasn't her reaction to Sakura's departure enough proof to the fact that she care deeply about her apprentice, whom she thought about like a daughter? She exploded _because _she cares. Tsunade thought about yesterday. _'Kiba looked like he was about to shit his pants' _she remembered with mirth, then sobered up when she remembered the very same Inuzuka arriving with her apprentice in his arms a few hours after she gave him his mission. _'I have to thank him' _

"Sakura, before I forget, we took the liberty to search your mother's house for any items, sentimental and valuable. We figured it would be too hard for you to do it yourself, and there's been an offer on the house, so there really wasn't any time for you to take the time for you to do it yourself. If we forgot anything, you are more than welcome to go back to the house to quickly recover it."

Sakura sat up. The house was being sold?! It was her property! She grew up in that house, and her parents did so much work on it! That house belonged to her family, to her! Sakura's temper flared, _'How dare she sell it!'_

"You- You're selling the house? Hokage-sama, I don't understand. Isn't the house my property as my mother's daughter and the last remaining member of my family?"

Tsunade sighed. She'd hoped Sakura would just accept the fact instead of questioning it, but she wouldn't have been Sakura if she had.

"I'm sorry Sakura, but your mother didn't include the house in her will, so it belongs to Konoha now. As soon as the house was deemed appropriate, people started to make offers and we really didn't have reason to keep if off the market."

"Excuse me, Tsunade?! No reason? I'm a reason! Couldn't you have held off the selling for me?!

"To tell you the truth Sakura, I felt that getting rid of that house would be good for you. You can't attach yourself to it anymore; it holds too many memories."

Sakura kept quiet, silently seething. Good for her?! She had no right, even if she was the Hokage! She got up and took the IV out of her arm, stopping the monitor. As soon as she was able to right herself on her feet, Sakura walked straight out of the room, past the Hokage and into the familiar hallway of the third floor. Tsunade didn't bother to stop her; she needed to work things out herself. Not to mention, it was just too funny to see Sakura walk out unaware that she was still in her hospital gown. Tsunade walked out of the room chuckling.


End file.
